


Hot Summers, Cold Strawberries

by hibiren



Series: Jay's Fae!Ignis AU Collection [3]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Cute, Fae & Fairies, Fae Magic, Faerie!Ignis, Fairies, Fluff, Food, Hot Weather, Humor, Light-Hearted, Lunch, M/M, Strawberries, Summer, Sweet, poor Iggy gets heat exhaustion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2020-07-08 01:55:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19861621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibiren/pseuds/hibiren
Summary: An ongoing heat wave has Gladio worried about the state of his garden - but even more worried about Ignis.





	Hot Summers, Cold Strawberries

**Author's Note:**

> it's so.. hooooooooooot... I had to write something. Here's hoping our own backyard garden makes it through this heatwave too?

Sweltering heat and blinding sunshine assaulted Gladio as soon as he opened his cottage door.

With a “Nope!!” he immediately slammed the door shut, grimacing at the lingering humidity that invaded the air around the doorway. It was noon - the height of the day - and yet every time Gladio tried to go outside, it was just… too damn hot. His garden would have to wait until later, and he hoped his plants were praying as much as he was for some relief from this awful heat wave. Not even sunset on the previous days was enough to keep the heat at bay. At their late dinner the night before, it was an awful 88 degrees outside.

Opening a window was out of the question; it would do more harm than good to their poor, overworked air conditioner.

Sprawled out on the couch, Iris groaned irritably as she fanned herself with the broad side of last month’s seed catalogue. Her hair was swept back out of her eyes by a thin headband tucked behind her ears. Despite the discarded water bottles at her side, she still held a flush to her cheeks from the high temperatures outside. They both were somewhat cranky from the week of near-boiling weather, but both knew not to get too upset - at least not at each other. Gladio, especially, didn’t want to go pissing off anything in Nature. Not after meeting Ignis. He tread lightly in every situation, when it came to superstitions. Who knew, Ifrit might just be having a really, _really_ off week, and they were paying the price for it.

Speaking of Ignis, Gladio hadn’t seen him since the heat wave began, and started to wonder if he was alright. Any offerings he’d left - ninety percent of them being cups of ice water - disappeared as soon as he turned his back. At least he did his best to help out, when he could.

Another few hours passed, and Gladio tried the door again.

Still hot - earning a string of complaints from Iris about letting all the cold air out - but not hot enough to deter him this time. Gladio grabbed his gloves as he stepped outside and headed for the garden to make sure everything was still somewhat in order.

On his way, he passed a patch of globe mallows and almost didn’t think much of it - but the sudden glint of light off of scaled wings made him pause. Ignis laid curled up in the midst of the flowers, his wide-brim hat offering sacred shelter to his sun-pinkened cheeks.

“Hey, Ignis? You okay?”

Gladio kneeled at his side, but frowned when he didn’t move. Gingerly, Gladio rolled Ignis onto his back and nudged his cheek with a finger - still no response. His skin was like touching fire; not a good sign. Muttering a soft apology in the direction of his garden, Gladio scooped Ignis into his palm as carefully as he could and made a quick exit back toward the cottage.

“It’s alright, Iggy, we’ll get you cooled off… I’ve got you.”

The next moments blurred together as he rushed into the house, pulling the nearest, unfortunately largest, bowl he could find from the drying rack by their sink and filling it with ice cubes and water. He would have asked Iris for help, but she’d disappeared into her bedroom some time ago. Returning his focus to Ignis, Gladio dipped the end of a procured cotton swab into the ice water, swirled it around a bit, and then applied it gently to Ignis’ forehead. Although for a while, Ignis didn’t open his eyes or move, eventually a relieved smile slowly washed over his features.

“...Cold… it feels good,” Ignis whispered, voice somewhat slurring, “Mm. Gladiolus…?”

“Yeah, I’m here. Are you okay?” Ever diligent, Gladio continued wiping the cool cotton against Ignis’ tired face, trying his best not to drip water everywhere.

“Absolutely, now that I’m out of that dreadful heat. Is… is there more water?” Finally opening his eyes, Ignis rubbed at them until he was able to look around the room without his head falling forward from dizziness.

Gladio smiled and gestured to the bowl nearby, ice clinking pleasantly as he tapped the rim. “Yeah, got an ice bath right here waiting for you.”

“That sounds _fantastic,”_ Ignis sighed, practically throwing his hat aside and slipping the ties on his clothing free until he was standing before Gladio wearing nothing but undergarments that looked like they’d been repurposed out of scraps of orange cloth ribbon. Gladio caught a glimpse of the fabric before turning his head, awkwardly clearing his throat, but Ignis seemed to pay no mind to his lack of clothing - purely absorbed in relishing the welcome thought of cold water.

The faerie found just enough energy to hover himself over to the bowl and splash right in and that immediately seemed to be enough to bring some energy back. He swam a lap around the bowl before dipping beneath the water’s surface, shaking water free from his hair and wings when he came back up. Batting an ice cube away, he relaxed against the edge of the bowl and exhaled happily.

“Ah… this is so much better. Thank you. It seems I’d exhausted myself, and all I did was fly out to check on your garden…”

“My garden should be okay, with you watching out for it - you should watch out for yourself too,” Gladio said softly, pulling up a stool from nearby so he could sit and lean against the cool countertop.

After a thoughtful pause and a moment to shoo away an approaching ice cube, Ignis nodded. “Yes, you’re right. I shouldn’t be so reckless in such weather. Thank you for bringing me inside.”

With a shrug and a helpless smile, Gladio said, “It’s too hot for anyone to be out there. I’d have tried to invite you in anyway. Can it be my turn to make you lunch? I don’t have any tea, but I’ve got something else you might find refreshing.”

“Oh?” Intrigued, Ignis tilted his head.

“Yeah! Give me a second and I’ll make you some. I don’t have any tiny cups, though… not your size, at least. Think you have enough energy to shrink a glass after I fix it?”

“I think so, yes. With whatever you’re about to make, I’m sure it will be well worth it.”

With that, Gladio stood and ventured over to the refrigerator to gather his desired ingredients. First, a layer of sweetened strawberry preserves lined the bottom of each jar that would serve as his cups. Then, some diced strawberries - freshly cut from an earlier harvest - sprinkled overtop, and he topped that off with milk until the jar was full enough. After ensuring both jars’ lids were screwed on tight, he gave them a good shake before setting one down in front of Ignis in the bowl. Strawberries circled within the glass, suspended and drifting slowly in the milk.

The faerie reached over from his perch and lightly tapped the edge of the jar. It shimmered in a burst of light and then reappeared in Ignis’ hands, perfectly sized, the proportions of the contents still evenly balanced. With a bit of difficulty, Ignis unscrewed the lid and took a testing taste of the strawberry beverage.

“Oh, this is… delicious! Very refreshing… thank you!” Ignis took another long sip and hummed happily. The water in the bowl around him almost seemed to glitter, too, in his excitement.

“Guess it’s, uh, my take on a strawberry milkshake,” Gladio offered, but shrugged, just happy as the refreshing taste of cold milk filled him, the hint of strawberries chasing after like a peaceful dream. Just being there with Ignis seemed to make the heat outside a little less intense, and that was true relief.

“Hm. Can’t say I’ve had such a thing before, but… I do like it.” When Ignis lifted the jar to his mouth to take another sip, he was surprised by a sudden shiver that almost made him spill his drink.

Gladio offered him a clean dishtowel from a folded stack to dry off with, and Ignis happily accepted the offer. While Ignis dried off and changed back into his clothes, Gladio set to work cleaning up the ice bowl and his now-finished jar of strawberry milk. When Ignis gestured to the tiny jar in his hands and motioned to make it bigger, Gladio shook his head. “Don’t worry about it! We’ll keep it here so you can use it next time you want to stick around for lunch? I can start working on some sandwiches too, if you’re hungry.”

Ignis nodded politely to the offer, tipping his hat back a bit as he spoke. “Is there some way I could help?”

“Don’t worry about it! You’re a guest, after all. It’d be rude of me.” Gladio smiled and reached down to affectionately rub a fingertip against Ignis’ cheek. “You should rest for now. As for the sandwiches, I was thinking lettuce and tomatoes… maybe a slice or two of avocado and some cheese…”

“Is this a ‘sandwich’ or a ‘salad’?” Ignis joked, crossing his legs and sitting at the countertop’s edge so he could watch Gladio set to work preparing the food.

“Uh… both?”

They shared a quiet laugh and that was when Iris reappeared into the kitchen as if summoned by the mention of food; she looked remarkably more recovered from the heat than she had that morning. Sweeping her hair back against her headband, she said, “Oh! We’ve got company over! Sorry I didn’t come out sooner, I finally managed to cool off.”

Gladio brandished a tray of sandwiches in her direction and smiled. “Lunch’s ready!”

“Oh, good, I’m so hungry… but it’s been too hot to eat anything!”

“I agree,” Ignis chimed in, eyeing a sandwich with a piece of avocado hanging off the edge. With Gladio’s nod of approval, he poked it and it disappeared, resizing itself in Ignis’ hands in the next moment. After turning to Iris he smiled and offered a gesture her direction. “My apologies for not introducing myself sooner, my name is - ”

“Ignis, right? Gladdy’s told me all about you two and your… adventures,” she said, a flustered smile at her lips as she reached for her own sandwich and bit into it. After chewing for a few long moments, she spoke with a hand in front of her mouth, “Glad you two are happy though! I’m just happy I’ve got someone else to help keep Gladdy in line.”

Gladio scoffed jokingly into his bite of sandwich, “Sure, ‘cause I’m stuck without you, is that right?”

“Mhm! I’m the one who found _and fixed_ that leak in the roof last month, remember? The one I’d told you about for days but you’d been too busy with the garden to - ”

“Right, right… I know, I apologized for that.” Turning to Ignis, he sighed, “Sorry, we do this a lot when it’s hot outside.”

With an understanding gesture, Ignis smiled sympathetically, “I completely understand, this weather is absolutely ridiculous. I sincerely wish I could control the temperature but sadly, I cannot. I can only ensure flowers bloom, fruits are plentiful, and other small magic tricks here and there. I’m not one of the seasonal fae. They must certainly be having fun this year.”

“Maybe you could talk to them?” asked Iris, after finishing a corner of her sandwich. “See if they can make this heat wave go away for a bit.”

“I… suppose I could try, yes. I’ll be sure to let you know if my efforts are successful - although I’m sure you’d take note of the difference immediately.”

“I’ll hold you to that, Iggy,” Gladio said, happily finishing his own sandwich and reaching, tempted, for another. “Can’t wait ‘til I can go out to my garden again and actually harvest some stuff without getting sunburned.”

“If it’s sunburn that’s plaguing you, I have an excellent floral salve that should work wonders…”

Ignis then launched into a long description of various elixirs he’d developed, all pertaining to flowers and their various medicinal remedies - most of which Gladio had familiarized himself with from his old camping days. He and Iris both listened happily as Ignis rambled about floral magic and in that moment, Gladio thought to himself,

_It’s nice to have company over… I missed this._

**Author's Note:**

> (that strawberry milk dish was actually inspired by [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5itl-NItMdI) I found the other day. The funny thing is, I normally hate strawberry milk, but the way this was made actually makes me want to at least try making it. It looks like fun lol)
> 
> if you're also going through hot weather right now make sure to stay hydrated and out of the sun!


End file.
